McDonald's stirred up excitement in China with the launch of its McTalkie toy
McDonald's McTalkie Toy Stimulates Demand and Sells Out in Hours
McDonald's latest offering, the McTalkie toy, has caused a stir in China's market. The limited-edition toy, designed to resemble McNuggets and fries, has become a hot commodity, selling out within an hour of its release on May 22.
The McTalkie toy, produced by McDonald's, functions as a walkie-talkie with a motherboard, antenna, and speaker. Its unique design, combined with the company's limited-edition strategy, effectively stimulated consumer desire.
The McTalkie toy's transmission range outperforms a RMB 299 (USD 41.2) Disney walkie-talkie, further boosting the toy and brand's popularity. It can reach up to 300 meters in an open, unobstructed environment, making it a standout in the market.
However, the high demand for the McTalkie toy led to the crash of its app following its release. Scalpers quickly capitalized on the situation, reselling the toys for up to RMB 300, nearly a tenfold increase from the original price. Some were resold at prices ranging from RMB 39-70 on Goofish, an e-commerce platform for secondhand goods.
The McTalkie toy's operation is unique, as it can only function on one standardized channel, making it function like a public chat room. This feature adds to its appeal, turning the toy into a social tool for children.
McDonald's responded to the high demand by announcing on May 29 via Weibo that it had restocked 200,000 more sets of the McTalkie toy. The company's logo, recognizable worldwide, symbolizing a taste of home and consistency that transcends borders and cultures, no doubt played a role in the toy's success.
The idea of giving toys as part of a meal traces back to the birth of the Happy Meal. McDonald's has since kickstarted a trend of toy giveaways, with new toys released approximately every four weeks in roughly 2,200 restaurants nationwide in China. In 2019, McDonald's sold about 35 million Happy Meals in China, with demand fueled by the launch of toys themed after various IPs such as Disney, Hello Kitty, Pokemon, and more.
Sociologist George Ritzer introduced the concept of McDonaldization, using the fast food chain as a model to analyze the general process of rationalization in modern society. The McTalkie toy's success can be seen as a testament to this concept, as the toy's limited supply, coupled with its unique appeal, elevated its perceived value and created a sense of urgency for consumers to make a purchase.
In a nod to Children's Day, McDonald's launched a series of activities focusing on its classic McNuggets. Last Children's Day, the company released a Tetris game console shaped like a McNugget, which also sold out nearly immediately. The McTalkie toy's popularity was further boosted by Xiaohongshu bloggers, who shared online that the toy's superior performance helped increase its appeal.
McDonald's was once a contender for the title of the world's largest toy distributor, distributing 1.5 billion toys annually worldwide in 2001. The McTalkie toy's success continues this tradition, demonstrating the company's ability to innovate and adapt to changing consumer demands.
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